kleines bal folk festival in heiden

Di Doux & Walter Rizzo

Di Doux is Sara Pierleoni (vocals and percussion) and Giuseppe Grassi (accordion, piano keyboard and percussion), a project born from a shared passion for dance and traditional music, especially from France and Italy. Their repertoire, mostly sung, brings together traditional and contemporary tunes from Brittany, Gascony and Poitou, while also embracing unexpected influences such as a gentle Brazilian mazurka and a lively Forró.

Joining them is Walter Rizzo, hurdy-gurdy player, bombarde and bagpipe musician, widely regarded as one of Italy’s leading figures in French- and Breton-inspired folk music. Since 1985 he has combined musical research with traditional instrument making, building rare instruments such as the musette, ceccola, Ligurian musa pastorale, Venetian piva and piffero sordo. Throughout his career he has performed with renowned groups including Le Saut du Chat Doré, Piva dal Carnér (winner of the Folk Bulletin Critics’ Award), Musica Officinalis, numerous early music ensembles, and, since 2024, once again with BEV, a group he co-founded in the 1990s. He is also a teacher at the Forlimpopoli School of Folk Music and regularly leads workshops on French bagpipes throughout Italy.

Together, Di Doux & Walter Rizzo create a rich and engaging musical experience where voice, accordion, piano, hurdy-gurdy, bombarde and bagpipes blend into a vibrant soundscape. Their music can be energetic and driving or delicate and intimate, always inviting people to dance and to rediscover the simplicity and beauty of folk traditions.

Rooted in the Bal Folk tradition yet open to wider influences, their repertoire travels from Brittany, Gascony and Central France to Italy and even Brazil, weaving together dances, melodies and stories from different cultures. Their encounter with Forró has further enriched their musical journey, reconnecting them with Brazilian and Latin American influences and deepening their exploration of rhythm, warmth and collective celebration.

For these musicians, folk music and dance are inseparable. While deeply rooted in tradition, they believe that dancing together offers a precious opportunity for connection: with ourselves, with others, and with the places where we gather. Through music and dance, they seek to foster a spirit of openness, curiosity and inclusion.